By Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan
Reporter

FOLLOWING CALLS for his resignation by members of Congress then a vote of confidence from the President, Customs Commissioner Nicanor E. Faeldon yesterday asked lawmakers to come up with a statute banning any government official, except the chief executive, from recommending the appointment or promotion of an employee at the Bureau of Customs (BoC).

AN IMPEACHMENT complaint against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P. A. Sereno was submitted by an anti-crime group on Wednesday, but it has yet to be formally endorsed by a member of the House of the Representatives to bring it up for hearing.

MALACAÑANG ON Wednesday again defended President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s deadly drug war, but this time from a new critic: His predecessor, Benigno S. C. Aquino III.

By Ian Nicolas P. Cigaral
Reporter

PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte has made good on some his promises during his first State of the Nation Address by signing separate laws extending the validity of passports and driver’s licenses as well as well as the establishment of a free Internet access program in public places.

ADDITIONAL routes, some with less stops, and extended service hours for buses plying within Bonifacio Global City (BGC) will be launched on Monday, Aug. 7. “The BGC Bus is considered the main transport system within BGC. We have the commuting public in mind when we decided to redesign the bus routes, stops, and schedules. By assessing historical data, we have come up with a system to help alleviate passenger wait time,” BGC Marketing manager Sean Luarca said in a statement. The standard BGC bus fare will still be P12. Based on records, the BGC Bus serves about 41,000 passengers daily.

THE COUNTRY’S northern highlands, home to many major mining operations, are no stranger to landslides. So when residents of Virac in Itogon town, Benguet found themselves locked in by a massive landslide that buried the mining road leading out of their community following heavy monsoon rains, it was not long before they found a way out of their predicament. As work crews toiled to reopen the road, the villagers also went about their business, crossing the expanse of muddy water and boulders, in the bucket of a backhoe. — interaksyon.com

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THE DEPARTMENT of Justice (DoJ) upheld the state prosecutors’ resolution that found probable cause to indict GREAM funeral owner Gerardo Santiago for his alleged involvement in the kidnap-slay of South Korean businessman Ick Joo Jee. In a four-page resolution dated July 24 but released only yesterday, the DoJ junked the petition for review of Mr. Santiago for filing it beyond the deadline set under the rules of appeal. The DoJ noted that Mr. Santiago filed his petition for review on July 5, a day late of the 15-day reglementary period. The DoJ also pointed out that there were no duplicate original or certified true copies of the assailed resolutions and no proof that a copy was provided to the Prosecutor General. Mr. Santiago is the owner of the funeral parlor where the remains of Mr. Jee was allegedly brought after he was strangled to death by members of the police inside Camp Crame. The case is undergoing trial at the Angeles City Regional Trial Court Branch 58 with Judge Irineo P. Pangilinan, Jr. — Kristine Joy V. Patag

WHILE CONSTRUCTION for the P11-billion Jalaur megadam in Calinog, Iloilo has yet to start more than seven years after its groundbreaking, another dam project has been lined up by national government. The Jalaur River Multipurpose Project II is on hold due to a legal case over the bidding process. Meantime, the P19.3-billion Panay River Basin Integrated Development Project (PRBIDP) in Capiz, included in the Duterte government’s priority infrastructure list, is scheduled to commence in 2018, according to the National Irrigation Administration-Western Visayas regional office (NIA-6). Regional Manager Gerardo P. Corsiga said the feasibility study (FS) for the project is already completed and will be submitted to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Central Office for further evaluation. “We already have the endorsement from the Regional Development Council. The next step will be the submission of the FS to NEDA,” Mr. Corsiga said in a radio interview. He added that they are also waiting for confirmation on the funding scheme, but the Chinese government has previously expressed interest to finance the dam project. “Approval of projects is fast under the Duterte administration, so hopefully early next year we can have the signing of the loan agreement… then start the implementation,” he said. The PRBIDP is designed to serve 15 towns of Capiz province, including Roxas City, as well as neighboring municipalities in Iloilo such as Lemery, San Rafael and Bingawan. — Louine Hope U. Conserva